PhD defence L. (Levi) van Hijfte

Below is a brief summary of the dissertation:

This thesis studies how gliomas—primary brain tumors—are organized and how they become more aggressive over time. We show that certain changes in the organization of genes in tumor cells can be used to determine how aggressive a tumor is. These changes can also help doctors estimate how long patients are likely to survive. Based on these features, we find that gliomas are not all organized in the same way. In some types of gliomas, immune cells gather in large numbers around blood vessels inside the tumor. In these same areas, we observe special tumor cells that can block or weaken the immune system. This prevents immune cells from effectively attacking the tumor. Together, these results can help us better categorize gliomas and support the development of improved treatments that help the immune system recognize and fight brain tumors more effectively, with the goal of improving survival for patients facing this devastating disease.